Jacket in progress

[zegnamtl]

Mr. Chong,

I have never used an Alpa, I purchased two from Canadian National Railways years ago and flipped them. It was the Linhof Master Technika 5 in the auction lot I wanted.
I regret having never at least toyed with the camera, but along with some fine Arriflex gear, it went.

The Zeiss Biogon T* 38mm f/4.5 on my Dad's Hassy SW was an amazing lens!

[JRS]

I hear ya. I would never submit my bespoke or Borrelli to what I see you doing with those cameras! You'd be amazed at the lengths to which I go to avoid carrying things over my shoulder ;p

You're right, Giovanni on St. Laurent is a different person and I was advised not to use him. I believe I have a number for Troiano somewhere and I can get it for you if you ever want it, but like I said, I haven't tried him yet. In fact, the only reason I'm even considering it is because I can't afford the $800/pr of pants that Achod charges. I'm going to stick to Achod for jackets and suits (which when you consider start at $2500 are a real bargain, given jackets start at 2300).

Btw have you seen the work he's done for a certain New Yorker? I've been shown several stunning pieces. One coat Greg showed me was a navy chasmere windowpane with a beaver fur lining which cost 15k! I never knew how soft beaver fur was... Another was an off-white coat, made from a corduroy-like material, with an ivory beaver fur funnel-neck collar. At first I thought Puff Daddy had been in the store, but I'm thinking of doing something similar next year because it was truely gorgeous.[/code]

[zegnamtl]

JRS,

I have seen some of his work, but I was never told who the clients were.
There were two gorgeous suits last fall, one in a rich deep brown and the other in blue.
His work seems to be first class!

Please drop me a PM with the details!

[MildlyConsumptiv]

which when you consider start at $2500 are a real bargain

I had a pair of trousers made by Achod before Christmasand, price aside, I am very pleased with them. My problem is that I just moved to Toronto and can't justify going to Montreal for clothes. I figured I would just go to the Harry Rosen here. I went went for a chat with them and found that their starting price for a 2-piece is $3500, like, 40% more than what Achod quoted. As well, they said they won't work with a costumer's own cloth; sort of a problem as there are a few metres of LL Gary Cooper tweed heading my way. I don't see why the Toronto shop is so much more expensive than Montreal. Are they charging these prices because they are in the "centre of the universe" and think people will pay them? At $3500, the price is about the same as independent Savile Row tailors. It seems I would still get better value by travelling to Montreal for clothes.

Also, they are kind of snooty at the Toronto store; despite telling the sales fellow I have had bespoke clothing made for me before, by the other Harry Rosen tailor, he felt obliged to go through the entire "What is bespoke" spiel like I was a child. After explaining that they won't work with a client's cloth, I asked the fellow if they would get sample books from merchants they don't carry (like Lesser, Smith's, etc). He didn't really give me a straight answer.

Further, he said I would have to deal with the bespoke shop through one of their sales people, not with the cutter. Wha? Overall, I didn't get a very good feeling which is a stark contrast to when I dealt with Achod in Montreal. Anyhow, I am gonna talk to a few other tailors in Toronto this week.

[zegnamtl]

"entire "What is bespoke" spiel like I was a child. "

I love these shop staffers who take on a condescending attitude to mask their own short comings.

I am so happy I have found a few good men that I can count on at the shops I frequent.
But I could recount a horror story or two on route to finding them!


JRS wrote:
I would never submit my bespoke or Borrelli to what I see you doing with those cameras!

~~~

And there lies my daily struggle of what I can and can not wear,
not what I want or do not want to wear.

[JRS]

which when you consider start at $2500 are a real bargain

I had a pair of trousers made by Achod before Christmasand, price aside, I am very pleased with them. My problem is that I just moved to Toronto and can't justify going to Montreal for clothes. I figured I would just go to the Harry Rosen here. I went went for a chat with them and found that their starting price for a 2-piece is $3500, like, 40% more than what Achod quoted. As well, they said they won't work with a costumer's own cloth; sort of a problem as there are a few metres of LL Gary Cooper tweed heading my way. I don't see why the Toronto shop is so much more expensive than Montreal. Are they charging these prices because they are in the "centre of the universe" and think people will pay them? At $3500, the price is about the same as independent Savile Row tailors. It seems I would still get better value by travelling to Montreal for clothes.

Also, they are kind of snooty at the Toronto store; despite telling the sales fellow I have had bespoke clothing made for me before, by the other Harry Rosen tailor, he felt obliged to go through the entire "What is bespoke" spiel like I was a child. After explaining that they won't work with a client's cloth, I asked the fellow if they would get sample books from merchants they don't carry (like Lesser, Smith's, etc). He didn't really give me a straight answer.

Further, he said I would have to deal with the bespoke shop through one of their sales people, not with the cutter. Wha? Overall, I didn't get a very good feeling which is a stark contrast to when I dealt with Achod in Montreal. Anyhow, I am gonna talk to a few other tailors in Toronto this week.

I find disturbing is that you don't deal with the cutter. That's truely bizarre. From the sound of it the montreal store seems like a much more pleasant place to shop.
As for the pricing, I assume they charge what the market will bear. The simple fact is that there are more people buying bespoke in toronto than montreal and their workshop is only so big. I've seen the prices for bespoke in montreal creep up ever so slowly, but I think they'll always be behind the prices of the toronto shop.

One of the reasons the montreal shop is so successful is because they have a fairly large american clientele that come up from NYC. They offer good tailoring at a bargain of price in a very comfortable atmosphere. If they messed with that formula too much, some of those american's might not see the benefit in shopping up here anymore.

I've never asked, but I'm sure if I brought in a length of cloth they'd make it for me there. It might require a little negotiation but they're all very reasonable and I'm quite positive they wouldn't turn me away as a customer.

Zegnamtl, I don't have a name, well not a real one anyway... I just know the guy is from NYC and every time I'm at the store (at least once a month) he's always having something new made. He's quite the sartorial peacock.

[MildlyConsumptiv]

've never asked, but I'm sure if I brought in a length of cloth they'd make it for me there. It might require a little negotiation but they're all very reasonable and I'm quite positive they wouldn't turn me away as a customer.

I asked Achod and he said he would have no problem making from a customer's own cloth. Also, Achod was looking into getting sample books from W. Bill as I said I was interested in traditional tweed, as opposed to the 12 oz worsted tweed-style cloths the other merchants seemed to have in their books. Overall, I got the impression that the Montreal shop had a very "can-do" attitude. It is strange how different the two shops are.